Sing my muse

YAY for completed Sandman! I love that you encourage readers to hang in there with Neil. He's totally trustworthy and credible!

I can only stop by for a minute cos I have to finish a paper but I will be back tomorrow to reply more fully to your wonderful post :DDDDDDDD
I first read Sandman a looooooooong time ago, and really, never found many ready to discuss the philosophical thrust of the series. So, you will definitely be hearing from me, list of favorite scenes in tow (one is not enough!)

ps listen to Spacedogs on Under the Pink. Listen for a name. Ms Tori is good friends with someone.....

pss It wasn't until recently I learned Neil lives in my city. Will you come with me and look for him and his band of illustrators? I know where the kool kats hang in Minneapolis!!

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YAY!!! Come back for philosophical discussions! :D And favourite scenes! And general squeeing over Dream!

Good luck on the paper - now you have a carrot to encourage you to get it done. ;)

Am opening iTunes this very minute to hear that song. I knew they knew each other (and how couldn't they, let's face it!).

And we must definitely go Neil-hunting sometime. :DDDDDDDD

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Oh and don't you think Tori is very good friends with Delirium? Her texts sometimes remind me of the way Delirium speaks.. ;)

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You're spot on that Delirium's language totally brings the Tori lyric logic and syntax! Neil has said (although I have no citation) there is a little of Tori's DNA in both Delirium and Death.

Ok, the song Carbon on Scarlett's Walk and Tear In Your Hand from Little Earthquakes mention Neil, too. Tear lyrics on my LJ homepage sidebar.

*goes to write paper*

*applauds and tingles because of your Neil post*

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I was just skimming through A Game of You - did you note that Morpheus tells Thessaly/Larissa: "And you. You have been foolish and unconsidered in your actions. You will hardly survive another century if you continue in this manner of behaviour, lady." and then in the end she is there at his wake.... *sniff* Somebody should perhaps have followed their own advice..

*shuts up so you can write paper*

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*can't resist discussing Sandman*

Although I could have done without seeing the skinned head on the wall, A Game of You is one of my favorite volumes.

Morpheus certainly failed to follow his own advice, didn't he? His dynamic with Thessaly/Larissa is so plot shaping, isn't it? Had he not been pining for she, he wouldn't have left the Dreaming with Delirium to search for Destruction, and consequently may have delayed killing Orpheus, although that seemed an inevitable conclusion. Thessaly really did a number on Morpheus, didn't she? But my wild speculation is that amongst all his lovers (is it wrong that Morpheus!Lover excites me?) she may have been his best match. Granted, she acted spiteful toward him, but she was as strong and powerful as he. With that said, not much is known of Nada....

*ponders*

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Yes it definitely is one of the best volumes! I like the dynamic between Morpheus and Thessaly - she doesn't back down, and he doesn't really scare her, which is a very good thing when entering into a relationship with one such as he. (And who wouldn't be excited by Morpheus!Lover!! We could have used a lot more smut, I say!)

Nada can't have been as strong or she wouldn't have killed herself like she did.. But really - Morpheus didn't have much luck in love. And because I had to look at him all sexy in Season of Mists I have another quote for you from the mouth of Desire: "Well, you don't exactly have trouble-free relationships, do you?" I need to look at it again, but the fall-out bewteen Dream and Desire after he lost his girl to that star (in Endless nights may have something to do with what happened later..

*ponders indeed*

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That's a great quote. Whether or not Desire meddled in Dream's romantic life is an interesting question. She claims innocence in the fallout between he and Thessaly, yet Desire can deceive.

You're right that Thessaly didn't back down, and perhaps her power fueled Dream's infatuation. Of all his lovers (tingles again) he never renounced his love to Thessaly (would have to check for certain). He appeared to have moved, permitting Nuala to keep the charm from Thessaly but the implications of Orpheus' death were fresh in that scene, so he may have been distracted.

Guh, he is the sex in Seasons. Neil is all about his characters expressing their sexy side, so he could have shown Morpheus' slightly less virtuous moments. Oh, where's Neil when you need him? ;)

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Yeah I know from American gods that Neil doesn't pull his punches in that area, so it would have been nice if the drawings would have been allowed to follow his inclinations.. And though it was interesting to work out who the mystery lover was who had left him, I would have loved to have seen some of Dream's relationship with Thessaly in action!! This is one of the things we will demand from him after we kidnap him! Oh wait, I hadn't told you that was our plan yet, had I? Well it is!

And poor Thessaly as well - I'm sure there are not many men in the world who could keep up with her. She can claim not to have loved him all she wants, I'm not believing a word of it. ;)

On a different note - I really love that Destruction stops by to say hi to Daniel in the Wake. (sidenote to a sidenote: And I also think that that is one of the issues where the un-gender of Desire is best captured. Wonderfully ambigious.) The whole Destruction side-plot is one of my favourites. I still can't get over Dream and Delirium together setting out to search for their brother! Especially the point where Delirium has to be coherent because Dream is breaking down. *sniffle* Oh and I love the statues of them all in Destiny's garden! How they reflect what the the real representation of them feels. :D:D:D:D:D:D. I could go on forever!

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Yeah I know from American gods that Neil doesn't pull his punches in that area, so it would have been nice if the drawings would have been allowed to follow his inclinations

I was thinking American Gods myself as an example of Neil's smut writing chops! In Stardust, there is a rather exciting opening scene as well.

bratanimus and I read Stardust around the same time and she remarked not remembering young adult being so steamy, lol!

I would have loved to have seen some of Dream's relationship with Thessaly in action!!

Would Thessaly's glasses be on or off?

She can claim not to have loved him all she wants, I'm not believing a word of it. ;)

I agree. She strikes me as not being above the board honest with her emotions. Then again, Morpheus is cagey as well.

Desire's distinct androgynous portrayal is extremely fitting, isn't it? S/he is very Duran Duran circa 1983, lol.

Damn Destruction!!! He frustrated me in the whole series. He is a self-contradictory, bastard. He abandons the Endless, confident humans can adequately destroy without his oversight. Yet doesn't he admit the other side of destruction is creation? How can he be assured humans will master creation in his absence? Guh! Morpheus' tired, overwrought responsibility talk is what Destruction needed to be listening to but failed to care. Destruction was arrogant but this iconoclastic characteristic actually endeared him to me. By the end, I was rooting for Morpheus to pack a napsack and stroll away like his brother, all the while knowing he was incapable of changing as did his brother.

Oh and I love the statues of them all in Destiny's garden! How they reflect what the the real representation of them feels.

The illustrations of the statues were breathtaking, I thought. Don't they remind you of the statues of the kings in the LotR's, kinda? The image with Morpheus' face in his hands and Delirium's quiet "Look at Dream" is wrenching because Delirium's observation of her brother's deep distress was so strong that she notices him as Delight, not Delirium.

Ok, I could go on FOREVER, and will probably write again tomorrow. But I one of my favorite scenes is the beginning of Kindly Ones when Morpheus builds the Corinthian nightmare, knowing it's his best strategy to capture Daniel. The illustrations in Kindly Ones are sparse and rather without detail but they appealed to me.

Edited Date: 2008-05-04 05:41 am (UTC)

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I must get my little paws on more of Gaiman's books. Stardust seems a likely candidate now, after reading your comment.. ;)

Ah in the passionate moments between a king of dreams and a servant of the moon goddess little details like glasses will be reduced to utter insignificance! :D

LOL - I had to google for the Duran Duran reference, but you are so right!

On Destruction, I really need to read the whole series again knowing what I know of his story so I can pick up on the early hints as well. I agree with your frustration and endearment too. Do you think that the volatile and explosive nature of his realm had something to do with him being the one of the Endless to go to such extreme measures? Hmm, just a thought..

I hadn't thought of the statues resembling the Argonath but you are right. :D And I also love the scene you mention. Especially Desire's worried expression as s/he considers what is happening to Dream. And I love how Destiny is splitting up - that it is a moment of fluidity and even he cannot stick to one path only because so much will change and it all depends on a lot of different factors. I hadn't noticed that Delirium was Delight in that moment.. How can you tell?

I am in two minds about the illustrations in Kindly Ones.. the naivety and childlike quality of it annoys me a little, but I think it serves the story well. And something as uniformly beautiful as the drawings in The Wake would not have worked for this grissly story. :) Please do write more thoughts! I love to hear them.

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I hadn't noticed that Delirium was Delight in that moment.. How can you tell?

LOL, sorry. I automatically attribute Delirium's moments of lucidity to Delight breaking through. It's an ad hoc move on my part and probably not canon in the least.

Do you think that the volatile and explosive nature of his realm had something to do with him being the one of the Endless to go to such extreme measures?

I absolutely agree with you. Destruction was also the most comfortable with change, I think, so converting from the Endless to his human form may have been an inevitable consequence of his nature. And, as he was an agent of ruination its no irony Destruction destroyed himself. Yet couldn't he also recreate himself? Destruction remains a philosophical puzzle to me. Let me know your insights when you re-read his story.

You make a good point about the Kindly Ones illustrations' naivety balancing the horror of the story. A beautiful illustration of burnt baby Daniel would have been unsettling. But with that said, of the most provocatively detailed illustrations is in Seasons when Lucifer kisses Mazikeen before leaving Hell, lol. It's just so wrong!

Oh, and I wanted to ask if you loved Mathew? That bird rocks my world.

Love talking Sandman with you! You've made my weekend! :D

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Your ad hoc reaction to Delirium's moments of lucidity seems to be quite reasonable! :D

Since it's pretty clear that Destruction has not lost his powers as an Endless when he laid down his job, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to imagine that he could recreate himself... I'm hoping my own Sandman collection arrives soon, so I can immerse myself in it without constantly missing books that have to go back to the library.

Oh that kiss is SO disturbing! It puts me off kissing for the rest of the day! eeeeeewww..

Matthew is the greatest! And he asks all the questions we want to know! (Nevermind that he seldom gets any straight answers...) and his loyalty to Morpheus is so touching. I love ravens, they are really impressive, powerful birds with so much symbolism attached to them. (which is also why I was annoyed from time to time when he looked more like a blackbird! Apparently not all artists took the time to study ravens...)

I love talking Sandman with you too. :D:D:D:D

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I wanted to mention you should watch the community

officialgaiman if you aren't already. Neil writes a syndicated blog and it feeds to LJ. He's a character! What impresses me most is that he updates his blog almost daily, the mark of an incurable writer!

ps I am unsure what HTML to use for feeds so if the above link is nonfunctional, you can pick up the community from my user info page!

:)

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I already have his blog on my feeds! It is amazingly funny - even when he isn't trying to be. :D I'm always looking forward to reading what is going on in his life.

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shimotsuki.livejournal.com

I have to close my eyes while I type this so I won't get spoiled by any other comments ;) -- but I have to say that lately I've been starting to plan what I should read this summer while work is a little less crazy, and now I think I'm going to be sure to put some Sandman on my list.

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Well typed with closed eyes! ;) You really should read the Sandman series. They are a very good example of how well a story can be told with both words and images. :)

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Oh, do it. Do it do it do it. You will not regret it. :D

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shimotsuki.livejournal.com

jncar got me started reading Lois McMaster Bujold last weekend,

mrstater's rave reviews (and also yours, I think?) caused me to grab a copy of Jonathan Strange... off the sale table a couple of weeks ago (that sucker is thick!), I've promised my guy I would try the Gormenghast books, and now there's Sandman. Hee. I'm all optimistic about summer reading now -- let's see in August what actually happened. ;)

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LOL Sounds like a busy summer! :) But what could be better than relaxing with a good book? And Jonathan Strange et al will last you some days I wager. ;)

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Oh, I LOVED Bujold's The Curse of Chalion. There's a real Remusy character in that. And yay for JS&MN!! That's one of my favorite books of all time. Can't wait to hear what you think of Sandman. And I don't know the Gormenghast books. -??-

Oh, and let's not forget about Twilight. ;)

Happy reading! :D

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shimotsuki.livejournal.com

The Gormenghast trilogy (Titus Groan, Gormenghast, Titus Alone) is something that my guy's been recommending. I'm halfway through the first book now and it's ... interesting. Kind of a Gothic fantasy, I guess, with characters that are odd, bordering on the grotesque (like something Edward Gorey would do, maybe?).

I'm certainly considering Twilight. ;)

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My favorite scene was the funeral. I think I cried through the whole thing (I am a sentimental dishrag like that, lol). But what REALLY REALLY got me was when Daniel/Dream said, "There's one who is still awake," and later .. "And then you wake up." *bawls eyes out*

I thought the art in that issue was nothing short of breathtaking.

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Oh yes the art was amazing! What was really interesting was that it is the same artist who did the first story with Shakespeare where I wasn't as impressed.. Apparently what they did was they left out the inking process so you are seeing the more organic/dynamic pencil lines through the colouring. :) Good inspiration!

Yes that scene is heartbreaking! How his body forms underneath the shroud... I'm not sure I can decide on a single favourite scene. I really loved the interaction between Delirium and Death in Brief Lives - Delirium wormed her way under my skin in that one. I love when Death sets him straight (every time she does it). And I love the issue where Lucifer gives Hell over to Dream... I really need to read it all again!

Oh and I was by to snag a lot more icons from your beautiful bash now that I know where they came from!

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Oh and I was by to snag a lot more icons from your beautiful bash now that I know where they came from!

Totally. Huge props again to Brat and her icons!

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Hee hee, thanks! :D

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Oh, I love the story where Lucifer gives Hell to Dream, too. I may someday read the Lucifer series, though they were not written by Gaiman (see my David Bowie as Lucifer icon, lol).

What was really interesting was that it is the same artist who did the first story with Shakespeare where I wasn't as impressed.. Apparently what they did was they left out the inking process so you are seeing the more organic/dynamic pencil lines through the colouring.

Oh, INTERESTING. I would never have guessed. Apparently I prefer the second method, where you see more of the pencil lines. I had no idea, and you've just explained it to me. Thanks! :)

Snag away. That's why those icons are there. :D

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There is a Lucifer series?!? This is neverending! Actually I was sold on Lucifer (healthy much?) the moment Dream called him Morningstar and he was so beautiful... Love your Lucifer icon!

Btw... I may (maybe, perhaps) be travelling to Maryland this summer... That is not so very far from where you live is it? Maybe we could meet? :D

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There is a Lucifer series?!? This is neverending!

One might even say it's Endless. LOL ;)

Actually I was sold on Lucifer (healthy much?) the moment Dream called him Morningstar and he was so beautiful...

Oh, I know. And I adore the two angels who are sent to take over Hell, don't you? I want to know their story, too.

Btw... I may (maybe, perhaps) be travelling to Maryland this summer... That is not so very far from where you live is it? Maybe we could meet? :D

ABSOLUTELY!! That would be fantastic!! :D We've got some trips planned, so hopefully it won't be when we are out of town. But I would LOVE to come up and meet you!! Where will you be? What's the purpose of your visit? Is it your first trip to the US? Oh, this is wonderful. I hope it happens. :D

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Oh yes those angels... I really like Duma (strong, silent, gorgeous.. What's not to like?) and it would be great to see them some more. :D

I'm not sure on the dates yet, but the plan is to visit a friend who lives in Manchester, Maryland and do some touristing. :) So it's pure pleasure holiday. Which also means that I could just as easily come down to meet you, so you won't have to go out of your way. ;) It will be my second time in the US - a couple of years ago I was in NY and Boston. It would be really great if everything works out!

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Oh yes those angels... I really like Duma (strong, silent, gorgeous.. What's not to like?) and it would be great to see them some more. :D

Definitely. I was quite taken with them when I saw them. Rawr. ;)

Oh, your visit sounds wonderful! Manchester is about 4 to 4.5 hours' drive away from me; but I have family in Bethesda, MD, and could go visit them. Then you and I could meet up in Baltimore or in Washington, DC, for a drink or lunch or dinner or whatever. That would be awesome if you can come!!

You're welcome to come to Roanoke, of course, but I don't think it would be very convenient for you. There is no commuter train that comes all the way to Roanoke, which is completely ridiculous because Roanoke's money was made in the coal transport industry so we have train tracks all over the place. Anyway, it would probably be easiest for you if I come up there. (And our family would be pleased to see us, too. :))

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I choked up when Calliope spoke of Dream.

Ah, and Matthew and Daniel together before he meets the Endless *points at your icon*. My heart clenched in that scene.

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